Wild West wire-to-wire showdown goes to Spurs

San Antonio Spurs' Danny Green, right, reacts to his three-point basket as he makes his way past Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012. The Spurs won 84-82. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) (Associated Press)

San Antonio Spurs' Danny Green, right, reacts to his three-point basket as he makes his way past Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012. The Spurs won 84-82. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) (Associated Press)

Tony Parker #9 of the San Antonio Spurs scores on a layup past Chris Duhon #21 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 84-82 Spurs win at Staples Center on November 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs is called for a charge on Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on November 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Harry How/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs scores on a layup around Pau Gasol #16 and Dwight Howard #12 of the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on November 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Harry How/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Manu Ginobili #20 of the San Antonio Spurs scores on a layup between Chris Duhon #21 and Antawn Jamison #4 of the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on November 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Harry How/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker, of France, goes up for a basket as Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, left, watches in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) (Associated Press)

Manu Ginobili #20 of the San Antonio Spurs makes a pass in front of Dwight Howard #12 and Antawn Jamison #4 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 84-82 Spurs win at Staples Center on November 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Harry How/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Dwight Howard #12 of the Los Angeles Lakers grabs a rebound from teammate Pau Gasol #16 during the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center on November 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Harry How/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers complains about a call resulting in his technical foul during the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center on November 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Harry How/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Kobe Bryant #24, Dwight Howard #12 and Pau Gasol #16 of the Los Angeles Lakers talk during the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center on November 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Harry How/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers walks on the court as he is introduced before the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center on November 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Harry How/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Dwight Howard #12 of the Los Angeles Lakers argues for possession during the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center on November 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers lost 84-82. (Harry How/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during a 84-82 laker loss to the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center on November 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Harry How/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES — Gregg Popovich famously referred to the 2004 breakup of the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O'Neal Lakers team that won three NBA championships in the first three years of the 21st century as being akin to the breakup of the Soviet Union.

This helps explain his reaction after arriving here Sunday and reading the speculation that former Lakers coach Phil Jackson was about to be hired to return to the Lakers' bench to replace Mike Brown, fired on Friday after a 1-4 start.

“I did have kind of a strange thought,” Popovich said before the Spurs closed out their four-game weeklong West Coast road trip Tuesday with an 84-82 victory, their sixth win in seven games and their third straight on the road.

“At one point it seemed, from what we all read, that (Jackson) was coming. I had this thought it was like putting the Soviet Union back together again. He was going to do a (Vladimir) Putin and put it all back together.

“I'm a strange person, so that went through my head.”

Spurs guard Danny Green's 3-point basket with 9.3 seconds left provided the margin for the Spurs, who remain atop the Western Conference with a record of 7-1.

Finally feeling himself after spending most of the road trip under the weather with a stomach virus, point guard Tony Parker led the Spurs, scoring 19 points.

Geo-politicians are certain the Soviet Union is permanently disbanded, and the Buss family that owns the Lakers seems convinced their team is better served with former Suns and Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni on the bench, not Jackson.

D'Antoni is to be introduced as the new Lakers coach at a news conference here today and is expected to make his debut on the bench Friday against the Suns.

Popovich's Spurs on Tuesday faced a Lakers team being coached through its third game since Brown's dismissal by Bernie Bickerstaff, the former SuperSonics and Nuggets coach who was one of Brown's assistants.

Bickerstaff's approach has been to stay out of the way of his players.

“It's basketball,” he said before tipoff. “Just let them play.”

Mostly, Bickerstaff has let Kobe Bryant play. The Lakers' all-time leading scorer and former Most Valuable Player scored 28 points, seven coming in the fourth quarter.

He also served as facilitator of the Lakers' offense. Rookie Darius Morris started at the point when Steve Blake was unable to play because of an abdominal strain. Blake had been starting since Steve Nash suffered a non-displaced fracture of the lower left leg in the second game of the season.

Bryant spent much of the game creating shots for teammates, but picked spots for his own offense, most often when they were most needed. He made efficient use of his 19 shots, making 12.

Popovich used his third different starting frontline in as many games, putting Tiago Splitter opposite Tim Duncan, with Kawhi Leonard at small forward. He had used DeJuan Blair and Boris Diaw with Duncan and Leonard in the previous two games. Opting for the 6-foot-11 Splitter enabled him to match Splitter against the 7-foot Gasol, with Duncan defending 6-11 center Dwight Howard.

The new lineup worked well for the first 21/2 minutes. The Spurs zipped to a 10-2 lead, but the quick start was exceeded by the Lakers, who followed with14 unanswered points.

After scoring 39 points in the fourth quarter of their 112-109 victory in Portland Saturday, the Spurs scored only 38 in the entire first half against the Lakers. They made only 16 of 43 shots (37.2 percent).